Only you can decide what that is.

The only true secret to what that job will be is that you need to find your passion. Find that one thing and you’ll be successful. It didn’t say you’d be rich. I said you’d be successful.

I’m fortunate to be doing what I love. Now based on the website and the fact that it’s obviously a software development company you could conclude that this would be it. My passion. The computer and writing code. That’s part of it and yes I enjoy what I do. I look forward to each new project and challenge. I know I’m one of the lucky few in life who gets paid for playing. But there is a lot more to it than that.

Because I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up.

Career One: Mortgage Banking

Actually, I’ve had many careers. By accident and the need for an income I fell into mortgage banking right out of high school. It was intriguing to me. Not a passion but fascinating enough to hold my attention. I wanted to be an Underwriter because after all at the end of the day this is the individual who could make or break your deal. They had authorization to sign off on millions of dollars. Of course, they were held accountable for their decisions but that seemed like the end of the rainbow to a young 20 something aspiring individual.

It took me 7 years of hard work. Reading the guidelines at night, taking home any manual I could get my hands on that would get me to that ultimate goal, and asking questions of the underwriters to learn how they got where they were. I did eventually get there and in the end had a very successful career. Authorized to underwrite for the “Big Four” (FHA, VA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac). I sat on committees in Washington D.C. for the Mortgage Banker’s Association, wrote a column on finance for the Florida Times Union, and in the end became an underwriter to the underwriters (In other words, I evaluated the quality of their work). I was the first mortgage banker to test the Automated Underwriting System as a representative for JP Morgan Chase. And for the record I will say that I was against it then and am still against it to this day. FICO scores are one of the worst things that has happened to the mortgage lending industry and I will tell you that it goes completely against the Fair Credit Lending Act. Don’t take my word for it. Investigate what the factors are that go in to creating that score and you will know for yourself just how unfair it is. But I digress so let me get back on topic.

The Almost Career Two: Veterinarian

My first passion in life (still is) is my love for animals. I was the kid who always brought them home, frogs to birds, it didn’t matter. While I was making my way through the mortgage banking world, I continued to take classes. I chose my classes in preparation for Vet School. In the end, I had all of the prerequisites out of the way and was actually to the point of interviewing with the School of Veterinarian Medicine at the University of Florida (Go Gators!). But it was then I had to make a difficult decision that would impact the rest of my life. By that time I was making more than a Veterinarian would make after years of practice. Not to mention the thousands of dollars in loans I would have when done. Also by this time I had four children and I knew the sacrifice wouldn’t be mine alone. I didn’t pursue that dream any further because of these reasons and I still wonder to this day if that was the right thing to do. It wasn’t until much later that I realized just how little a paycheck meant when giving up your happiness was the end result. If I had it to do over again, would I have gone through with it? I don’t know. But I can tell you that it was through this experience that I learned one of the most valuable lessons I would carry with me the rest of my life. Don’t make career decisions based on the paycheck you will get at the end of the day. No matter what the amount of the pay is it will only be a number when it’s all said and done.

The Real Career Two: Software Developer

I remember the day I made the decision to leave mortgage banking. I was sitting in the corner office overlooking the lake. It was gorgeous outside and I was neck high in files to be reviewed. Deadlines, board meetings, power suits, quarterly reports, and corporate politics. I didn’t exactly know what I was going to do next but I knew that I was on my way out of that world. I had always been fascinated with computers and because of how my mind works if I’m not challenged I’m not there for long. It was then that I realized just how little a paycheck really meant. Corner offices? Is anyone ever remembered for making a difference in life by having the nice view with the name plate on the door? Not hardly.

So there it was. The epiphany. I could work from home, have a challenging career that always kept me learning, and the freedom to constantly stand on the box rather than live inside the box and best of all I could color outside the lines (always a worthwhile goal.)

It took a lot of time and additional classes in college (After all, chemistry doesn’t really get you that far in programming.). Finally I was recognized as having the experience and knowledge base to be taken seriously in career two.

So was that it? Nope, not by a long shot. I thought it was and I’m still happy this is what I do to this very day but there was an added and very unexpected gift I was about to receive. Something that really would be the best thing I ever did and the last thing I ever thought I would do. And you know what? It paid less than all the other jobs before it!

The Greatest Gift I Ever Received

At some point in life we all get to that place where we wonder if what we’ve done has made a difference. I’m not talking about a statue in the park, a city named after you, or some part in changing the history of mankind. I’m referring to what you will be remembered for.

About 5 years ago I saw an advertisement in the newspaper for college instructors. I had never considered doing something like that but suddenly the thought came to me “why not?”. I sent in my resume and received a call about a week later. Out of that interview came the opportunity to not only teach but to take the position of Associate Dean of Computer Science. Now the ironic part of all of this is that when I was in High School I viewed attendance as somewhat an “optional” suggestion and not a requirement. My brother got a huge laugh out of my new position and insisted that “This was the Lord’s way of making me atone for all those days of absenteeism.” I have to say there may have been some truth in that.

My Final Frontier: Software Developer AND Teacher

I feel like one of the fortunate few who was able to find not just one passion but two. Software development combined with teaching. I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to have some small part in helping individuals obtain a better quality of life. Knowing that you played some part in helping others gain the knowledge they need to get themselves out of dead end jobs. Notice that I didn’t say I “got them out of dead end jobs”. One of the first things I would tell my students is that I can’t make them programmers but that I could teach them what they needed to know to be on their way to becoming programmers. I’ve done this long enough now to see them go from night desk clerks at hotels to department heads. From working in the bakery at the local grocery store to working in an IT department making a good living. Buying homes, having families, and actually feeling good about themselves.

I’ll never forget the time that one of my students was so excited about having just been offered a position on a development team that he called me up in the middle of the night to tell me about it. It meant a lot to me that he wanted to share that.

And that’s the greatest job you’ll ever have.

Take what you love to do. Take your passion. Forget about the money you will or won’t make and you are bound to be successful but more importantly you’re going to be happy.

I’m no longer the Associate Dean of Computer Science and I no longer ‘formally’ teach at a college. But I do teach and now volunteer at a center that helps displaced workers learn computer skills that will help them get a better job. I don’t receive a monetary reward for that but what I do get can’t be replaced by a dollar bill.

Popularity: 1% [?]